I Kinda Panicked
by roo17
Summary: "Luffy-ya… I love you." Luffy stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. Then Luffy turned around…and ran. And with every step he took, Law's heart shattered more and more, until there was nothing left. AU. LawLu.
1. l: Shattered and Broken

I Kinda . . . Panicked  
l. Shattered and Broken

* * *

_Summary: "Luffy-ya… I love you." Luffy stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. Then Luffy turned around…and ran. And with every step he took, Law's heart shattered more and more, until there was nothing left. AU, happy ending! LawLu._

_Warning: ooc (mostly on Law's part), AU, mild swearing, depression._

_Disclaimer: The cover picture belongs to its rightful owner/creator. I do not own One Piece, or Law's heart. *sniff* *bursts into tears*_

* * *

_Now he's gone, I don't know why  
__And till this day sometimes I cry  
__He didn't even say goodbye  
__He didn't take the time to lie_

_-Nancy Sinatra (Bang Bang [My Baby Shot Me Down])_

* * *

Law was feeling extremely nervous. Today was the day he'd confess his feelings for Luffy. He gave a nervous chuckle as he adjusted the coat he wore, smoothing out any imperfections in it. He'd had a few relationships in his twenty-six years of life, and all three (yes, _three_) had ended with him getting his heart broken. (Okay, not _broken_, but you, know, he was really saddened they didn't work out…and stuff…) But not this time, this time…

The time would be different.

Or so he hoped.

Out of all the people he'd fallen for, he knew Luffy was the one he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Luffy had a _lot_ of flaws, and Law meant a _lot_. He was too trusting, too kind, too loud, too naive, too idiotic; he could go on and on. But it was those flaws – mixed with the teen's perfections – that made him so damn lovable. But what made Law so nervous right now was because he didn't actually know if Luffy was gay or not. Or if he was even interested in pursuing a relationship.

Law had tried to slyly coax an answer out of him about relationships and all that, but it hadn't worked out very well. The one thing he did know was that Luffy had never dated anyone before because no one had caught his eye. He'd turned down several dates from a few people, though; Boa Hancock, Blackleg Sanji, Roronoa Zoro, Beliko Nami, and Jewelry Bonney. And from what Law knew, Luffy was still good friends with Zoro and Sanji; meaning he certainly didn't have anything against gays.

Law took one last look at himself in the mirror before giving a nod. Today would be a good day, a happy day. Today, he would give his beating heart to the man of his dreams.

* * *

The cold air was nice for a change, and Luffy couldn't help but wish Winter would come a lot sooner. But, unfortunately, Autumn refused to be absent from the world, so he was forced to patiently wait for the white season. The colorful leaves that blew in breeze brought a smile to Luffy's lips, and he chased around several in the park as he waited for Law to show up.

He didn't have to wait long. Looking up from the leaf-covered ground, he smiled and waved excitedly to the hatted male approaching him. "Torao~!" He bounced his way over and tightly hugged the male, pulling away and looking up to see Law give a small smile.

"Hello, Luffy-ya. Enjoying Autumn, I see?"

"Yeah!" The teen grinned back, and Law couldn't help but feel his nervousness ease away, the feeling replaced with calmness. Law motioned for Luffy to walk beside him as they ventured through the park. The surgeon listened to Luffy's exciting adventures he had with his friends over the years and the weirdly odd dreams he'd have at night. He'd throw his opinion in once and while, all the while wearing his usual small smile. "So Torao, why'd you want to meet up today? You said you had something important to tell me."

"I do," the surgeon answered, and suddenly the nervousness was back. He and Luffy stopped under one of the many shedding trees, and he looked the teen in the eyes and he spoke the next sentence. "Luffy-ya… I love you."

The world around them turned to one of complete silence. Law could hear nothing except the beating of his own heart and fear began to prick at his mind when the bouncing teen didn't immediately announce his love for him in return. He resisted the urge to bite his lip when Luffy just continued to stare at him, not saying a single word. The teen's eyes widened as the confession sank in.

They stood there, staring each other; each afraid to say something.

In the end, it was Luffy who moved first.

The teen took a step back. He turned…and ran. And with every step he took, Trafalgar Law felt his heart crack more and more, until nothing was left except the shattered remains of a broken heart.

* * *

Walking home after that was one of the hardest things he had to do in his entire life. He felt as if he couldn't breathe, and every second he continued to stay alive a sharp pain stabbed him in the chest where his heart should have been. His entire body felt numb and nearly all of his senses disappeared. He couldn't no longer hear the cars passing and honking, could no longer feel the softness of his coat, couldn't smell the food from the restaurants he walked by, and could barely see where it was he was at.

His entire world felt…empty.

Void.

Like it no longer had any meaning to it. And in a way, it didn't. The person he'd fallen in love with, the person he gave his heart to…just rejected him. Instead of treasuring the heart that'd been given to him, Luffy crushed it mercilessly. And what was worse was he didn't even know _why_. _Why_ had Luffy done that? Luffy had almost looked...scared. Was he homophobic after all? Did he simply see Law as a friend? Luffy did once compare him to his brother Ace, so maybe he saw him in a familial way. Had he done something wrong? Did Luffy simply not love him back? Law didn't know, and he would never would. "Stupid," Law muttered under his breath. All of his other relationship had crashed and burned, why should this one be any different?

The stabbing pain in his chest continued with every step he took, and he soon found himself inside his apartment standing in the middle of the living room. It was then did he finally register the tears running down his cold cheeks. He reached up and touched them, pulling back his hand to look at the wetness on his fingers. He had never cried with his other relationships ended. He had never felt this broken over them.

His world began to spin and his lungs began to burn, and the realization that he really _wasn't_ breathing hit him. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees. The hat that rested on his head fell and rolled off to the side, and his tattooed fingers began to dig themselves into the soft rug below. His vision dimmed in and out of darkness as his lungs screamed for oxygen.

But no matter how fiercely his lungs burned, it was nowhere near as painful as the pain that continually stabbed him in the chest. He couldn't bring himself to care if he couldn't breathe, and soon his arms no longer hand the strength to keep him up either. He fell to the floor, his dazed eyes staring at nothing as tears fell freely from them. He didn't care if he died, what was he living for anyway? His job? He had no family, hardly any friends, no lover…

He had nothing to live for.

Dying… At least dying meant he could be with his family and Cora-san again.

* * *

Law didn't die.

And he was slightly disappointed at that.

He awoke with a bad headache and that pain still alive in his chest. He had a feeling that pain wouldn't go away anytime soon. After all, his heart would never be whole again. Never. This time it'd been shattered beyond repair, and nothing could or would change that. He pushed himself up onto his knees and looked around the near empty apartment.

Everywhere he looked, he saw Luffy.

He remember Luffy laying on that couch, smiling when Law threw popcorn at him once during a movie. The memory of Luffy nearly bringing down the bookshelf popped into his mind when he glanced at the unmoving object. He noted that the red stain on the carpet near the reclining chair was there because Luffy accidentally spilt his juice when he was laughing at a T.V. series he was watching. The small scratch in the wooden doorframe was when Luffy grabbed it, holding onto it for dear life because he was afraid of the medical checkup Law was going to give him after hearing the teen was in a car accident.

Each memory only made the empty feeling in his chest more prominent, and he just couldn't take it. _'Maybe it'll pass,'_ he thought sadly, getting to his feet as he made his way into his dark bedroom. He slipped beneath the covers without changing clothes, and he closed his eyes as another tear slipped past him.

_'Maybe it'll pass.'_

* * *

It didn't.

And two days later, he moved out.

* * *

_A/N: Now, before you guys say that Law's kinda overreacting, let me say that more things will be shared in the next chapter. This won't be more than three chapters. This one, Luffy's P.O.V., and then the ending. So hope it was...okay. I don't know, I felt iffy uploading this but someone said I should go for it. So...hope you enjoyed? Leave a review? please?_

_Next chapter comes out next Thursday._

_Your shy ice elemental,  
~»roo the psycho«_


	2. ll: Confused and Panicked

I Kinda . . . Panicked  
ll. Confused and Panicked

* * *

_When you said those three words, I kind of freaked out  
__When you said them first, my jaw hit the ground  
__If I could go back in time, I'd say those three words  
__I shoulda, woulda, coulda, said it back to you  
__And this can't be saved if you can't be found  
__You didn't even say goodbye_

_-Hinder (Shoulda)_

* * *

Luffy couldn't remember how long he and Law had been friends. He knew it was a long time though, maybe two years or more. So it wasn't unusual for Law to message him to meet up at the park. What was unusual, though, was that Law said he had something important to tell Luffy. That greatly intrigued the teen, and he ended up getting to the park a little earlier than planned. He liked Torao's company, it was nice. It was different than hanging around his other friends. Law was more…special, he guessed.

The park was more beautiful than usual with all the colorful leaves decorating the ground. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he chased around the leaves that blew in the wind, giving a laugh at how fun Autumn really was. Something black and white caught his eye, and glancing up he saw Law approaching. He waved excited and yelled, "Torao~!" He quickly made his way over to the male, hugging him tightly before looking up to see the man's smile. He liked that smile. He knew Law practically wore that small smile everywhere, but Luffy liked to believe that smile was meant for him and him only.

"Hello, Luffy-ya. Enjoying Autumn, I see?"

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned and followed Torao around the park as they began to walk. He told Law many stories as they made their way through the park, knowing that the surgeon wasn't much of a talker. It wasn't until he was finished telling him about an adventure he had last winter did he remember the reason why Law called to meet him here. "So Torao, why'd you want to meet up today? You said you had something important to tell me."

"I do." Luffy saw how nervous the surgeon suddenly was, which was odd because Law was usually so confident and cool. Had something bad happened? When they stopped walking, Law looked Luffy in the eyes and said what was on his mind. "Luffy-ya… I love you."

Luffy continued to stare up at the surgeon, blinking once when he went over the sentence again in his head. _'Huh? He loves me? What… oh.'_ Luffy's eyes widened as he fully realized what Law just said. He continued to stare at the male, and Luffy could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know what to do. Had no idea.

So he did the only thing he could think of at the moment.

He took a step back because he wasn't sure what to do or if he could exactly handle this confession right now. Then he turned…and ran.

And he didn't _dare_ look back.

* * *

Luffy kept running. He ran all the way back to the house he and Ace shared. Even when he entered, he began to pace back and forth in the living room, unsure what to do because _he did not expect Law to like him_. Luffy's heart still felt like racing, and his mind was jumbled with too many thoughts. His stomach felt funny, so did his chest. Why? They started feeling weird the moment Law confessed.

He didn't know what to do. He needed advice. Now.

Pulling out his phone, he then proceeded to call every person he had listed under his contacts. Even the guy who was the operator for Pizza By the Slice. But no one was answering their phones. His mind looked through every memory to find out _why_ they weren't answering.

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook were all at a week long concert and probably couldn't even hear their phones ringing. Nami, Nojiko, and their mom were currently on a plane to go back to their old home for a while. Zoro, Sanji, and Franky were at some sort of convention in another country. Bon Clay was on an island with no service. Robin was probably at a new archeological site digging up mummy's and stuff. Shanks and Makino were on a cruise, probably in the middle of the ocean where phones were practically useless. Everyone he knew would be busy and unreachable for the next few days.

"Ace!" How could he forget about Ace? He began dialing the male's number, only to remember why his brother wasn't home in the first place. He and his friends were currently at Mount Corvo at the moment. And there was no service up there. When did Ace say he'd be back? In two days? Three? Could he even wait that long?

He had the sudden urge to talk to Law, but the thought of the man and the confession he gave only made Luffy's heart and stomach feel even weirder. He nervously twitched about as he continued trying to get ahold of Ace, hoping by some miracle his brother's phone would get a single bar of service.

* * *

Ace's smile had been plastered on his face for the past three days. Going to Mount Corvo with Marco, Thatch, Haruta, Izo, Vista, and Rakuyo had been absolutely awesome. They stayed up during the nights, taking turns telling ghost stories and adventures of old while sitting around a campfire. He opened the door and entered his house, his smile widening when he realized that he would finally see Luffy again. "Hey Lu, are you–" He was going to say _home_, but upon seeing the state of his brother, he decided to go with, "…okay?" Luffy's eyes were bloodshot and wide, and the skin beneath them seemed dark like he hadn't slept at all. The teen ran over to Ace and practically tackled him into he door.

"Ace where have you been I've been trying to get ahold of you but you're phone wouldn't work and I need help and all my friends are unreachable I don't know what to do and help me and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO YOUGOTTAHELPMECAUSELAWCONFESSEDTOMEANDIDUNNOWHATTODOANDMYSTOMACHANDHEARTFEELREALWEIRDAMIDYING–"

Ace held up a hand and sweat-dropped, slightly pushing his brother away to get a better look at him. "Woah, okay, slow down. All I got out of that was that something's festering…?" If Luffy left food out again and let it spoil, he was going to strangle him. Luffy opened his mouth to speak again but Ace held up his hand once more. "Breathe," he ordered. "You look like you're on the verge of hyperventilating. Deep breaths. In…and out. In…and out." Luffy followed his brother's orders until he looked relatively calmer. "Good. Now, what's festering?"

"LAW CONFESSED TO ME." Okay, so maybe Luffy_ hadn't_ calmed down. But it was better than the string of words all put together.

"He confessed to you…? Wait, you mean as in _he loves you?_" Luffy frantically nodded. "It's about freaking time," Ace mumbled under his breath. He deemed Law worthy of dating his brother half a year ago after silently stalking the man for several months to see if he was an okay person or not. And it wasn't too hard to see that the man had feelings for Luffy. Honestly, Ace had been silently rooting for Law to get up the courage to ask his brother out. "Well, what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything," Luffy answered, panic clearly evident in his eyes. "I ran away."

"You…ran away…? Oh no… _No_, Lu!" Ace ran a hand through his hair and let out a thick sigh. "Have you contacted him at all?"

"No. Why, what's wrong? Wh-What did I do?"

"You left him standing there!" Ace answered. "Look, do you like Law?"

"I-I guess? I don't know! But his confession made my heart and tummy feel really weird and I didn't know what to do and I felt like I had a fever!"

"That means you're in _love_, Luffy. What's what love does to you. At first it makes you feel a little funny, but then it keeps you warm through the coldest nights and keeps you happy 24/7."

"S-So I love him?" Luffy asked, his eyes widening a little more. "I love Torao…" The sentence rolled off his tongue smoothly, and he couldn't help but smile as he whispered it once more, "I love Torao…"

"Good, now that you got that settled, _what the hell were you thinking?!_" He bopped Luffy over the head and the teen gave a whiny complain of, _what was that for?!_

"I kinda panicked, alright!"

"You idiot! He _confessed to you_, and you just left him standing there without an answer! You _ran away_. He probably thinks you don't love him back! Either that, or he thinks you hate him and that he's ruined his friends ship with you!" Ace silently cursed. "Luffy, you probably just broke his heart."

Those words stopped Luffy's thought process. _'Broke…his heart…?'_

* * *

_"Hey, Law?" The surgeon gave a quiet hum. "Why don't you ever smile or laugh?"_

_"I smile all the time," the surgeon answered._

_"I don't mean that phony smile you always wear. It's almost more of a smirk than a smile, really. I mean __smile__ smile. Like, a genuine smile."_

_"I just don't like to."_

_"But…why not?"_

_"Can't you just drop the subject? I don't want to talk about it."_

* * *

_"Law, you never answered my question from last week."_

_"Which question, Mugiwara-ya?"_

_"Why you never smile."_

_"I thought I told you to drop it," the surgeon bit. "Now __drop it__."_

* * *

_"Oi, Traffy."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I wanna know why. Why don't you smile or laugh."_

_"Mugiwara-ya," the surgeon growled, glaring at the younger male. "Quite bringing that up. I mean it."_

_"But I have to know! Why cant you just–"_

_"I said I don't–"_

_"I wanna help you–"_

_"Because my heart has been broken too many times!" The surgeon finally snapped, his eyes burning with the fiercest glare he could give. The look had Luffy recoiling, and he couldn't help but take a few steps away from the surgeon. "__That's__ why," he snarled before turning around and leaving with a brisk pace. Luffy let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and furrowed his brows as he thought over Law's answer._

_He followed the surgeon after he left. They ended up at a cemetery, and Law stood before a grave with sad eyes. Luffy hesitantly made his way to his side and looked at who's grave it was. His eyes caught the sight of three names, all beginning with the name Trafalgar. "There was a fire," Law quietly said. "I wasn't home when it started, I was at the park studying. When I came home, the whole house was in flames. The firefighters hadn't arrived yet and my little sister… I could hear her screaming for me."_

_A silence fell between and Law began to walk away after staring at the grave for a while. He walked to another grave, the headstone for this one more decorated and expensive. The name on it read Donquixote Rocinante, aka Corazon. "This man…adopted me after my family died. He was the only person who wasn't afraid of me or my dark behavior. He…made me happy again. He fixed me," he gave a soft smile, his hand running over the smooth headstone. "But he was killed during a bank robbery. He saved my life, and all the hostages' lives."_

_"I'm sorry," Luffy whispered. Law shook his head._

_"Don't be."_

_"After that, you lived alone?"_

_"Yeah. I didn't…want anyone to be close to me after that. The thought of going through anymore pain was too much."_

_"I won't break your heart. I promise," Luffy stated, resting a comforting hand on Law's shoulder and offering a bright smile. "So don't be afraid, I'm not going anywhere. Once you're my friend, you're stuck with me for life!"_

_He couldn't see Law's expression because the male turned away. "Thank you… Luffy-ya."_

_That had been the first time Law had called Luffy by his name, and not by his nickname._

* * *

Luffy suddenly pushed away from Ace, running to grab his phone. No no no! _You probably just broke his heart._ But he made a promise! He never broke his promises. He hadn't meant for Law to feel that, hadn't meant for Law to _think _that! He quickly dialed the surgeon's number.

"_The number you have reached is no longer in service_." Luffy's breath hitched in his throat. What? He shoved his phone into his pocket and pushed Ace out of the way of the door as he began to run down the street.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered, tears pricking at his eyes. "I'm sorry, Torao, I'm sorry." Law had no friends, no family. Luffy had been the only person who he had. And Luffy had just unknowingly pushed Law away. Law's apartment complex came into view and he rushed up the stairs when the elevators were taking too damn long. He ran to the surgeon's door and banged on it. "Law! Law, open up, it's Luffy! I'm sorry! I didn't–"

The door opened and Luffy stumbled. He looked up and opened his mouth to apologize when his eyes landed on a man with bright, spiky red hair. "Who the hell are you?"

"I-I'm looking for a guy named Law," Luffy answered, not bothering with his name.

"I don't know any Law. If you mean the guy who lived here before, he moved out yesterday. Anything else?" Luffy shook his head, and the door was slammed shut in his face.

"Moved…?" Law had moved? Had…had Luffy hurt him that bad? Where he simply wanted nothing to do with the teen? "I have to find him," Luffy breathed, turning around. "Have to find him and apologize and tell him how I feel. Maybe he's working today at the hospital."

But when he reached the hospital, the nurse at the front desk shook her head. "I'm sorry, but he quit yesterday." Luffy felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Wh-Where did he go?"

"I'm afraid I can't give out personal information, sir."

"Please," Luffy begged, feeling as if he was on the verge of tears. He desperately wanted to see Law. "Please, I-I'm his boyfriend!"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, and she really _did_ look sorry. Luffy felt numb, and he stumbled away from the front desk and back outside. His phone began to ring and he reached for it, quickly answering it.

"Law?"

"_Luffy?_" It was Ace. "_Did you talk to him?_"

"No," he answered, and now he really was almost crying. "He moved out and quit his job yesterday. I-I don't know where he went. He just…disappeared."

"_Oh, Luffy… I'm sorry. Where are you, I'll come pick you up._"

"Hospital," was all Luffy got out before he hung up. His entire world suddenly felt empty, and his heart gave a painful throb at the idea of never seeing Law again. He had accidentally broke his promise. The first promise he broke, and it had devastating consequences. He just broke Law's heart. The man didn't deserve that, he already had his heart broken twice by the death of his family and guardian.

_"I won't break your heart. I promise. So don't be afraid, I'm not going anywhere."_

"Torao," he whispered, burying his face in his hands. "I love you... I'm so sorry."

* * *

_A/N: …*cough* Sorry. I updated a day early. Well, early here. It's only Wednesday where I'm living. I realize it's Thursday for some of you already. So the last chapter is coming next week on Thursday. Hope this was alright! Thank you guys for your reviews! Please tell me your thoughts if you don't mind. :D And I have a new poll, check it out maybe? Have a great morning/afternoon/evening!_

_Your shy ice elemental,  
~»roo the psycho«_


	3. lll: Lost and Found

I Kinda . . . Panicked  
lll: Lost and Found

* * *

_I've become comfortably numb  
__Until you opened up my eyes  
__To what it's like when everything's right  
__You're by my side, now everything's fine_

_I was hiding till you came along and showed me where I belong  
__You found me when no one else was looking  
__How did you know...?_

_I can't believe you found me when no one else was looking  
__How did you know just where I would be?  
__Yeah you broke though all of my confusion  
__The ups and the downs and you still didn't leave  
__I guess you saw what nobody could see  
__The good and the bad and the things in-between  
__You found me_

_-Kelly Clarkson, (You Found Me)_

* * *

Two months.

He searched for two months, but there was no sign of Trafalgar Law. New World was considered the biggest city, and after all searching he barely covered 1/3 of the the area. _'That's okay though,'_ Luffy thought. _'I won't stop until I find him.'_

Still, two months was a long time, and the hyper teen was seriously considering putting up MISSING signs all around the city. But he decided that would be a last resort if he didn't find the male by the end of the third month. He gave a sigh, leaning against the bench he sat in. He wore a long red and white coat, ear muffs, and gloves. Winter had finally arrived.

And how beautiful it looked.

Luffy smiled at the white that surrounded him and the little snowflakes that fell from the sky. He wished Law was there with him. Law was also a fan of winter. His smile slowly fell as he stared up at the sky, his breaths creating small white puffs. He desperately wanted to see the male's face again, desperately wanted to see him and hug him. His eyes searched the gray sky above. "Where are you…?"

He was met with the silence of the snow.

* * *

"I'm not hungry," Law mumbled as a coworker of his invited him for lunch. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he knew his body was starving for food. He hadn't eaten in a few days and already he could see his ribs through his skin. But he couldn't help it, he hadn't had much of an appetite since Luffy left.

Luffy.

Just the name of the teen made Law's shattered heart throb, and he gave a slight wince. Luffy had been the first person he let into his life after Corazon died, the first person he let get close. And look how it ended up. _"I won't break your heart. I promise. So don't be afraid, I'm not going anywhere."_

"Liar," he quietly mumbled as he walked through the halls of the hospital to leave. As he exited the building, he looked up at the gray sky with dead eyes. His insomnia had also grown worse over the past two months, so he knew he should go straight back to his apartment and try to get some sleep. But he didn't want to do that.

A single snowflake landed on his nose and it reminded him of Luffy somehow.

Too many things reminded him of Luffy.

He tried to shake any thoughts of the teen out his mind and began to walk down the nearly empty sidewalk. He wore the same coat he did when Luffy rejected him; the long black one with spots and a funny little smiley printed at the bottom and on his left sleeve. His hand softly touched the smiley on his sleeve. _'Cora-san…'_

He didn't want to go back to his apartment.

So instead he decided to wander around the city until nightfall.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but no Trafalgar Law works here."

"Ah, okay. Thanks," Luffy smiled before turning away from the receptionist and headed for the exit. He gave a quiet sigh. Law didn't work there either. How many medical facilities had he checked now? He'd lost count. There were just so many. _Too_ many, really. There were the ones listed in the phone books and then there were the lesser known ones that were privately owned. There were clinics and specialists and urgent cares and hospitals…

So many places in such a large city, and only one person he was looking for.

_So here's to everything coming down to nothing  
__Here's to silence that cuts me to the core  
__Where is this going?  
__Thought I knew for a minute but I don't…_

The song blasting out of the car that drove by Luffy brought the teen out of his thoughts. He wasn't the biggest fan of Taylor Swift, so he made a small face at the song. He didn't thing she was a bad singer – he actually thought she had quite the voice– but he just didn't like most of her songs. He remembered one time when him and Law were talking about music, how Law had agreed with him on that.

But there had been one song that Law said he liked of hers.

* * *

_"Eh? You actually like one of her songs?"_

_"Yeah," Law said, looking out the cafe's window as the snow quietly fell. "It's called I'm Only Me When I'm With You. It…kinda reminds me of the times I spent with Cora-san. We were both…different, at least in society's eyes we were. Corazon was awkward; he was tall, thin but built, and was rather clumsy. He tripped on flat surfaces and ended up lighting himself on fire several times while smoking." The memories brought a small smile to Law's lips, and it was one of the first real smiles Luffy ever saw Law give._

_"He wore makeup everywhere he went. I never found out why, I always kept putting off the question for some reason. But I think that was his mask he liked to hide behind. I hid behind silence and distanced myself from everyone. But somehow we managed to bring the best out in each other. We drove each other crazy, sure. There were times where I wanted nothing more than to murder him, and I'm sure there were times where he wanted to do nothing more than throw me out a window. We could only ever be our true selves around each other."_

_"That sounds nice," Luffy said, giving a smile._

_"Yeah," Law whispered, his eyes distant as he found himself lost in old memories. "It was."_

_Luffy went home that day and downloaded the song, adding it to his ipod._

* * *

And when Luffy thought about it, he realized that Law always acted different when he was around. He was more open, more relaxed. Whenever one of Luffy's friends suddenly popped up, Law would revert to his normal, antisocial and sarcastic self until they left. The surgeon had truly accepted Luffy as a friend.

_'He accepted me as a friend and I went and broke his heart,'_ Luffy thought bitterly. If only he could find the man and apologize…!

A snowflake landed on his nose, making him smile a little. He looked around to see where it was that his feet had lead him. He was currently in the northern party of New World. He'd only been there a few times. One of the times, he remembered, was with Law. It was last winter, the male had brought him there to teach him how to ice skate.

It was one of Luffy's most favorite memories with Law.

"Maybe I'll go there for a while," he mused. It'd been quite a while since he skated, after all.

* * *

The little frozen lake wasn't very crowded, something Luffy was grateful for. He ordered himself a hotdog along the way and he was just finishing it as he arrived at his destination. Throwing away the wrapper, he took a seat on a nearby bench to watch the people skating on the ice.

A mother and her daughter were laughing almost hysterically as they crashed into the snow at the edge of the lake. The girl wiped away the tears that leaked from her eyes before her and her mother went back onto the ice to try and learn how to skate once more.

Two brothers stood side by side, the older one standing expertly by his younger brother's shaking side. The younger tried to push his skate back in order to move forward, but he lost his balance and slipped. The older brother reached out and caught him before he fell, giving a quiet chuckle as he tried to teach his bother the proper way to move.

A single teenage girl skated around the edges of the lake, a large smile sprawled on her face as she continued to skate around and around; enjoying the feeling of sliding over the ice so quickly.

Luffy remembered when Law got onto the ice. He had been so graceful at ice skating, it had made Luffy jealous. He made it look beautiful, the way he would turn and twist. It was like he was made to skate on the ice. And, honestly, it looked more like the male was dancing than anything. When he asked the surgeon how he learned, the answer he got was, _"My sister loved to skate. So my mother would take us here every weekend in winter. After they passed away and Cora-san adopted me, I discovered he too liked to ice skate. We came whenever we were free. He was pretty good, until he'd slip and fall."_

And then it became a weekend thing him with and Law during the winter.

Luffy was still pretty clumsy on the ice, but at least he knew how to ice skate now. He got a lot of bruises the first day, though, and Law couldn't stop chuckling at his failed attempts.

"Law…" He gave another sigh and stood up, deciding he should probably get home before it got dark out. As he turned to leave, his eyes scanned over the environment once more. They froze when they landed on a very familiar black coat. Then his eyes moved to the person who wore the coat.

It was Law.

He could have laughed at that moment, how, after all the searching he did, he ran into the surgeon by complete accident. But as he stood to run over to the male, he took in the man's appearance. Law's nose and cheeks were tinged with a light pink from the cold. His gray eyes had a distant look in them, and the skin beneath them were darker than they ever were. It made Luffy question if the man had slept at all during the last two months. The look in his eyes almost looked haunted, and he seemed so sad and lonely.

_"I won't break your heart. I promise."_

Taking in a deep breath, Luffy made his way over to the lone surgeon.

He was determined to make things right between them again.

* * *

Law didn't like to be touched. So it didn't come as a surprise that when someone placed their gloved hands over his eyes that his first instinct was the break their wrists. However, since that was considered as assault, he resisted the urge – though it did take quite a lot of self control to keep his hands by his sides. "Remove your hands from my eyes now," he grit out, making sure to sound as unfriendly as he possibly could.

"No," the person said. "Not until you hear me out."

And Law's shattered heart stopped beating.

He knew that voice. He knew it all too well. But, didn't Luffy hate him? Despise him? Why would he come back–

"I want to apologize," Luffy continued. And Law could tell by Luffy's voice that he was indeed feeling guilty about something. "When you confessed to me, I kinda...panicked. I didn't know what to do. It wasn't until my brother came home and told me what love felt like did I realize how I felt for you. I tried to contact you, but...you sorta disappeared. I've been trying to find you these past few months. Because I want to tell you how sorry I am, and that I didn't mean to break your heart. I promised to you once that I would never break your heart or go anywhere, and I unknowingly broke that promise two months ago. I'm sorry, Law. I'm very sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Law found himself unable to speak, unable to move. Behind him, Luffy gave a sad smile. "If you can't forgive me, I don't blame you. But...I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry." He began to pull his hands away when Law's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. Law swallowed hard, letting his hand run over Luffy's until he was holding the gloved hand.

"How do you feel about me?"

"I love you," Luffy instantly answered. He felt his glove grow slightly wet, and he realize a tear slipped from Law's eye. He began to panic. "D-Don't cry! I didn't come here to hurt you again, I came to try and–"

"Do you mean it?" Law cut in, catching Luffy off guard.

"...Well yeah, of course I do."

"And you swear you didn't mean to break my heart?"

"I swear on my life," Luffy whispered. Law nodded, letting out a long breath. A silence fell between the two and Luffy didn't really know what to do. Law was still holding his hand so he couldn't take it off his eyes. He looked down at the surgeon with worry, noticing how the coat he wore seemed much more looser now than it had been before. _'Is he even eating...?'_

"You're an idiot," Law bit out, and Luffy couldn't help but flinch at the tone of voice. "Only you would run away after someone confessed to you because you didn't know what love felt like." This time, the voice was lighter, and a chuckled followed. "You really are an idiot. But I can't help but love you anyway."

"Y-You mean you still love me?"

"Of course I do. Although, you _are_ going to pay for breaking my heart."

"I'll make it up to you in anyway I can," Luffy said, removing his hands from Law's eyes and wrapped his arms around the male's neck. "I only have the rest of my life to do it."

Law gave a weak chuckle, shaking his head. "You really are something," he mumbled, squeezing one of Luffy's arm. The younger male laughed quietly, his laugh music to Law's ears. "Do you want to go skating?"

"Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I want to take you home and feed you. You feel real thin. And you look like you haven't slept. So that's what we're gonna do. No ifs ands or buts."

"Yes, Nurse Luffy-ya."

"You know I would be the most sexiest nurse you had."

"Oh, you most definitely would be. But you'd also be the absolute worst. I wouldn't trust you with a needle if my life depended on it."

Luffy laughed, helping Law to his feet. "That would probably be a wise choice." The surgeon gave a soft smile, a sight Luffy hadn't seen in over two months. He grabbed the surgeon's hand tightly and pulled him along through the snow, giving him a bright smile. "I love you, Law. And this time, I'll make sure your heart is never broken again. For the rest of my life."

"I love you too, Luffy-ya. And if you don't keep this promise, I'll murder you."

Luffy laughed again, turning back to the snowy path before them. "Yeah, I know you will."

"By the way, do you even know where I live?"

"...Nope."

Law rolled his eyes and took the lead, squeezing the gloved hand in his, and gave a soft smile. "Such an idiot," he mumbled.

"Yeah, but I'm _your_ idiot," Luffy correct.

"...Yeah," he said after a moment, throwing the younger male a loving look. "You are."

* * *

_The end_

* * *

_A/N: Don't lie to me. The ending was horrible. I know it was. I had put all my focus on the whole story up until Luffy actually TALKED to Law. Then I was like, "...crap, I didn't think how'd they make it up." So yeah. Don't get me wrong, Law still hasn't fully forgiven Luffy yet. It'll take him a while for his heart to mend. But Luffy will help speed up the process. :] Thank you for all your kind reviews though for this story! It really means a lot to me! :D_

_Your shy ice elemental,  
~»roo the psycho«_


	4. Author's (Failed) Note

_GUYS. Hi._

_Now that I have your attention, I would like to ask you all to please exit to the right side of the stage in an orderly fashion. Please, no pushing or shoving. Anyone caught pushing, shoving, or cutting in line with be doused with liquid fire. Anyone caught throwing axes shall–_

_Oh. Wait. Sorry. Wrong script. Hold on, let me fix this. *several minutes of mumbling later* Ah! Here we go. Okay. *clears throat*_

_So, I just wanted to let you guys know that I am, indeed, going to add another chapter to this. However, I'm having a rather...difficult time with it. This is the third time I've completely rewritten the first part of it. So it may take a little bit longer to upload it. But I thought I'd let you guys know that it hasn't ended, and the epilogue should – hopefully – be up by the end of this month._

_Thank you all for being so patient with me, and thank you all for reading/reviewing/favorite-ing(not really a word but I don't care)/following this story. I hope the last chapter will please you all. :]_

_Until the final update,_

_-roo_


	5. IV: Forever and Always

I Kinda . . . Panicked  
lV. Forever and Always

* * *

_I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry  
__I only want your hand to hold, I only want you near me  
__To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold  
__For the dancing and the dreaming_

_-For the Dancing and the Dreaming_

* * *

Law was concerned.

He stared at his phone, waiting for it to ring with a call or text. He waited in the silence of his apartment, refusing to move from the chair he was currently occupying. Four hours of staring, and nothing. He began to lightly fidget with the pillow in his lap as he tried to ignore his pessimistic thoughts.

_'He's cheating on you.'  
__'He's going to break up with you.'  
__'He's grown tired of you.'  
__'You have too many flaws for his liking.'  
__'He never loved you to begin with.'  
__'He's going to break your heart again.'_

He barely registered the fact he was biting his bottom lip until the felt a sharp pain emanate from it and the taste of coppery iron laced his tongue. He didn't pay much attention though to the blood, instead focusing back on the quiet phone on the chair's armrest. He fiddled with a loose string on the pillow more and gave a light sigh.

Law was definitely concerned.

* * *

_They had been dating a little over a month now. Things had been awkward at first, seeing neither of them had very much experience in dating and relationships. But things worked out, and soon holding hands had become a favorite hobby and saying the words 'I love you' came as easy as breathing. When Law had trouble sleeping during one of his insomnia nights, Luffy would stay up late and text him until morning came. Whenever Luffy needed advice or an injury patched up, Law was always right there to help him out. The surgeon's shattered heart began to sew itself together a little more day after day when he was by his lover's side. Everything was going perfect._

_Or so Law thought._

_They were walking through the park on a sunny afternoon. Spring was just around the corner but already snow had stopped falling and the air was already much warmer. Still, Luffy wore a sweater and scarf while Law wore a jacket to keep warm. Luffy reached over and laced his fingers with Law's, his eyes roaming over the park and the little green buds that were getting ready to bloom when Spring arrived._

_Law took the moment to look over at Luffy. The way the sun's rays shinned through the tree's branches on the teen made him look beautiful. He could see the details of the brown irises when a strip of sunlight illuminated them, and how smooth Luffy's skin looked in the soft afternoon light. He noticed how happy Luffy looked, his eyes holding tremendous joy and curiosity to them. Law's heart skipped a beat in happiness as he realized that Luffy was __his__. The smallest smile pulled at his lips and Luffy smiled brightly as he turned to face the surgeon._

_"I love you, Law."_

_"I love you, too," he said. For a moment, they just stood there holding hands and staring into each others eyes. The surgeon's smile strengthened for a second. Then he began to lean down, his eyes flicking to Luffy's lips. He wanted to give his boyfriend a real kiss, not the kiss on the cheek they've been giving each other. So he continued to lean down, his lips getting closer to the teens. But right before he could make contact, Luffy ducked out of the kiss and pointed off to a takoyaki stand not too far away._

_"Look, takoyaki! Oh man, I'm soooo hungry! Law, let's get some to eat!" Law, a little disappointed he lost a kiss over food, gave a halfhearted smirk. He wasn't too surprised about it, Luffy's appetite was legendary after all._

_"Alright, you little oinker."_

_Luffy pouted and crossed his arms. "Hey, I am __not__ an oink…" The look Law threw him said otherwise, causing him to trail off. "Okay, yeah, maybe I am," he mumbled. The surgeon couldn't help but chuckle and ruffle Luffy's hair as they headed for the takoyaki stand._

* * *

_The next day, Law was sitting with Luffy on the teen's couch; both absorbed in a movie and eating popcorn. Law was leaning against the couch's backrest at an angle and had Luffy laying on him with back his against the surgeon's chest. Law had his chin resting on Luffy's head and the teen had his fingers laced with Law's, squeezing the hand every time a part of the movie got too suspenseful. The surgeon couldn't help but smile in amusement, entertained with watching Luffy's expressions change throughout the movie. Really, the teen got too absorbed in movies at times._

_The thought of scaring Luffy came to mind; it wouldn't be hard to do, the teen was already wide-eyed and on the edge of his seat. But he couldn't bring himself to do it (despite the fact he found Luffy rather cute when he was scared); instead he focused his attention on Luffy's slightly parted lips. He cupped his boyfriend's chin, grabbing the male's attention. He tilted Luffy's head and the teen stared at him with curious and confused eyes. He began to lean in, to give Luffy the kiss he had ducked out of yesterday for takoyaki._

_Brown eyes flickered to Law's lips before flickering back to his eyes. The surgeon's lips ghosted over Luffy's, making a tickling feeling. But Luffy suddenly brought his head back down, his eyes going back to the movie as loud intense music played. "Woah, look at that, Law!" The surgeon bit back a harsh sigh as his eyes focused back on the television in the dark room. Another kiss, failed._

_He'd have to try when there was nothing to grab Luffy's attention._

* * *

_Three days later Law made absolutely sure that there was __nothing__ that could grab Luffy's attention if he attempted another kiss. They were sitting in the surgeon's apartment doing nothing, just talking and joking around to pass the time._

_"–and then this giant goldfish came out of nowhere and almost ate us! Luckily the two giants from the island saved us with a combined attack and put a whole right through the fish and we sailed right through it!" Law couldn't help but smile at how excited Luffy was at retelling a dream he had the other night. Still, the teen wasn't the best storyteller. "Oh! And I had this dream last night that we were all pirates!"_

_"Pirates, eh?" Law let his smile grow a little more as he rested his head in his palm. He always loved listened to Luffy's stories, especially ones from his childhood. His dreams, however, were on a whole different level. He never forgot the one time Luffy dreamt of a piece of flying meat and woke up in the morning to find his pillow torn open and drooled all over. Apparently he'd tried to eat his pillow in his sleep._

_"Yeah! It was so cool! Like, unbelievably cool! I was trying to become the king of the pirates, but the only way to do that was to find this legendary treasure called One Piece. And there were these things called Devil Fruits, it was so bizarre. I ate a Rubber Devil Fruit and became a rubber-man!"_

_"A rubber-man?" Law couldn't deny the fact that it somehow fit Luffy to an absolute tee. The teen was naturally flexible, sometimes to the point where Law really __did__ wonder if he was made of rubber or not._

_"Yeah, and three others had Devil Fruit powers on my crew! Chopper was a blue-nosed reindeer who ate the Human Human Fruit, Robin ate the Flower Flower Fruit and could sprout any part of her body anywhere–" That actually matched Robin, and Law wouldn't admit that the power sounded quite dangerous and bizarre, "–and Brook was a skeleton because he ate the Revive Revive Fruit!" Oh, how Law wished he could have seen __that__._

_"Anyway, I met you at some human auction house–" The surgeon raised an eyebrow because what the hell was Luffy doing dreaming about such a place? "–and you had one of the weirdest powers ever! You would create this blue sphere by saying Room, and then you'd take out your long sword and start cutting people up! You could cut them up no matter how far away you were from them as long as they were in your Room." Law was liking this power already. "But when you cut them, they wouldn't die. They'd just split apart! You cut someone's head off and they were still alive and somehow could still move their body and talk! And then you moved your hands and all these body parts started flying around your Room! Then you connected the body parts to other things, like other bodies or barrels or canons! It was so funny and __cool__!"_

_"It does sound pretty neat," Law answered. Really, only Luffy could dream such outrageous and weird things. But then again, this Devil Fruit really did sound neat, and if he could have in the real life, oh the miracles could perform in the operating–_

_"Oh, and your navigator was a polar bear named Bepo or something. It was awesome. He knew karate." It sounded like someone had watched a little too much Kung Fu Panda lately. The surgeon wanted to ask a question but Luffy continued before he could voice it. "You also flipped off Kidd. Who was another captain." A smirk pulled at the older male's lips. Flipping off Kidd and eating a chaotic Devil Fruit. That sounded like quite the amazing dream._

_He glanced over at Luffy who had a smile stretching his lips. Lips that Law intended the kiss today. He pushed away from the back of the couch and began to move toward Luffy, his eyes on the teen's lips, when Luffy suddenly stood up with wide eyes. "Oh no! I forgot I had to be somewhere five minutes ago!" He rushed over and grabbed his jacket lying on the arm of one of the chairs. "I gotta go, see ya Law!" And just like that, he was out the door; leaving Law on the couch by himself._

_Another kiss…dismissed._

_Law wondered if maybe he was moving too fast and that Luffy just wasn't ready for a kiss. It was a big step in a relationship so he didn't put too much worry into it. After all, Luffy kind of did panic when Law merely confessed to him. How would he take kissing? If Luffy felt that uncomfortable, he'd speak up and say something, right? Still, Law couldn't help but feel a little doubt nibbling at the back of mind._

_In the end, he tried to ignore it._

* * *

_The doubt and worry, though, came back a week later. Luffy started saying he couldn't hang out as much during the day because he was busy. Busy with what, Law didn't know. Luffy didn't have a job and he wouldn't be enrolled in college for another few months. He tried not to think about it too much, after all life was never a constant thing; it was always changing. Maybe Luffy found a hobby, or new friends to hang with. But before Law knew it, he was lucky if he got to see Luffy once every three days._

_It was making him very nervous._

_He tried asking Luffy what he was up to when their visiting time was cut to that, but all Luffy said was, "Just busy doing stuff." It was the only answer he got out of the teen. And it wasn't like Luffy could really lie, hell he was the worst liar on the face of the earth. But still, unease began to pull at his mind. He knew Luffy swore never to break his heart again, but they'd been growing so distant as of late that Law began wondering if maybe Luffy was planning on leaving him. Just the thought of that made his heart throb painfully._

_But Luffy wouldn't leave him, right? He promised not to go anywhere. but why was he so busy these last few weeks? What could possibly…?_

_A week and a half later, Luffy and Law were sitting quietly together at the teen's house. "Is everything alright?" the surgeon asked. Luffy blinked at the question before giving his large smile._

_"Yeah, everything's fine, Toaro." The smile had almost looked fake, forced. But Luffy said everything was fine, so Law would believe him. Luffy wouldn't lie, __couldn't__ lie, really._

_But Law's mind was still not at ease._

* * *

Now here he was, sitting in his apartment staring at his phone as he waited for Luffy to call or text. The last time he saw Luffy was six days ago. Almost a week. Something was wrong. He gave another sigh as he continued to nervously play with the loose thread on the pillow in his lap. Maybe what the teen felt hadn't been love, but a mere crush and he'd finally grown tired of the surgeon's many flaws.

_'But things had been so…nice.' _They'd walk through parks, go to movies, eat out, joke around. But not anymore. Luffy always looked so…_tired _whenever they'd meet now. What if…

The phone rang, and Law instantly answered; bringing the device to his ear. "Hello?" It wasn't Luffy, but the hospital; asking him to come in for an emergency surgery. Hanging up, he headed for the door with a quiet sigh.

He hoped everything would be okay.

* * *

Twelve days.

Twelve days since he'd last seen Luffy.

Law had been patient, but that patience had officially run out. He'd been losing more and more sleep worrying over his relationship with Luffy and now he found himself unable to fully concentrate while at work. He had to have answers, he couldn't go on worrying until his stomach was in knots.

So now he stood before the door to the house where Ace and Luffy lived. Giving a long exhale, he reached up and knocked on the door. "Hold on a sec," Ace said, his voice muffled by the door. A moment later the door opened up and the surgeon came face to face with the grinning freckled male. "Hey, Law! Nice to see ya. Here, come in."

"Thanks," Law nodded, entering the house. He heard the door close and lock behind him. "Is Luffy-ya here…?"

"Nope, but he should be home in about…" Ace glanced at the time on his phone and gave a shrug. "Twenty minutes or so. Come in, I'll make us some tea."

"Oh, you don't have to…"

"I insist," Ace smiled. Law felt a little uneasy; Ace never acted _this_ nice to him. Yeah, they were friends and they'd joke around every now and then, but Ace's voice sounded _too cheery._ Something was up, and like hell Law would be caught off guard. If the freckled male was planning on pranking the surgeon right now, Law would personally chew Ace out. He was so far from the pranking mood at the moment.

His wary eyes trailed Ace's every move, making sure the younger male wouldn't dump something distasteful into his drink. The freckled male hummed a light tune as Law sat at the table. "So Law, how's work been?"

"It's been a little stressful lately," the older male answered honestly. With him being unable to fully concentrate on work, he found his job was become quite stressful despite the fact he hadn't been getting many patients in as of late. "How about your job? I heard you were supposed to be getting a promotion soon."

"It's been great. I got the promotion a few days ago and _man_, do I love my job. Working for Whitebeard is the best thing ever. Though I have to admit, Marco threw quite a bit of paperwork my way the other day."

"I wonder why," the surgeon dryly mumbled. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the outrageous pranks you've been pulling on him, would it?"

"Maaaaaybe, maybe not."

"Figures."

"Oh shush. Now what kind of tea would you like? We have several varieties." Ace opened one of the cabinets to show several jars with different labels of tea.

"I'll take the strongest one," he answered. Ace nodded as he reached for the darkest looking herb. "So what's Luffy-ya been up to lately? I haven't seen him for almost two weeks now."

"Oh, you know…this and that," Ace vaguely answered, making Law narrow his eye. He came to get answers, damn it. "All I know is that he's been quite busy."

"That doesn't put me at ease at all," Law mumbled under his breath, looking at the table's surface. He missed the look Ace threw in his direction, how the freckled male's eyes slightly rose upon hearing the tone of the surgeon's voice and how the corners of his mouth twitched ever so lightly.

"Wait, did you say almost two weeks? He hasn't visited you once in all that time?" Law shook his head and Ace gave a scowl. "That idiot," he murmured. The surgeon didn't bother to ask what that meant and instead waited in silence for his tea. Once it was served, he took a small sip of his drink and held it in his hands; letting the hotness warm his palms. "You look like you haven't slept in a while," Ace noted, sipping on his own cup of tea.

Law gave a long sigh, running his hand through his hair tiredly. "I haven't," he responded. And in that moment, Ace took in just how _exhausted_ the surgeon looked and bit his bottom lip. "I've been real worried about Luffy-ya. He won't tell me what he's doing and we haven't seen each other. Every time I manage to get him on the phone, he sounds so tired and ends up falling asleep before seven. We don't get to text very often because his replies are usually hours apart…" The silent _I feel like we're falling apart_ hung in the air unspoken.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ace said in earnest as he looked down into his own a drink, a look of slight guilt building in his eyes.

Law shook his head. "Don't be, it's not your fault." Ace's lack of answer made Law's eyes flicker up towards the freckled male and he furrowed his brows as he saw Ace bite his lip a bit more. "…Unless, it is your fault." His eyes narrowed almost dangerously when the younger man tried to stutter out an answer.

"No, it's not– I mean, it was– I kinda–"

"You kinda _what?_" Law asked. Ace didn't fail to pick up the mild anger rising in the surgeon's voice. He opened his mouth to try to give an answer when the sound of the door knob rattling and someone knocking grabbed his attention. Ace quickly got to his feet and went over to unlock the front door, feeling Law's anger becoming almost palpable. Opening the door, he was met with the sight of Luffy grinning excitedly.

"Hey, Ace! I finally got them! And the stupid guy messed up, it was–"

"Lu, just in time! You have company," Ace said with relief, motioning towards the kitchen table. Looking over his brother's shoulder, Luffy's eyes landed on Law. His grin grew even bigger.

"Torao~! You're here!"

And all of Law's anger disappeared the moment his eyes landed on that familiar grin.

"Luffy-ya," he said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He stood and Luffy wasted no time at all in pushing past his brother to hug his boyfriend tightly, nearly knocking the surgeon down as he laughed. The teen noticed how Law's arms locked tightly around him, and how he buried his face into the crook of his neck. "I missed you…"

"I missed you, too, Law," Luffy said, pulling away after several more moments. "Woah, what happened to you? You look exhausted!"

"What have you been _doing?_" Law asked, completely ignoring Luffy's statement. Ace decided he should give the two privacy and quietly snuck out of the house. "I haven't seen you in twelve days!"

"T-Twelve days?" The teen's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that long had passed! I've been kinda busy and–"

"Yes, I know you've been _busy_," Law nearly hissed. "What I want to know is what you've been doing that's been keeping you so _busy_. We've hardly seen each other and barely talked in the past month. I..." And now Law couldn't keep the concern out of his voice any longer, or the anxiety from appearing in his eyes. He was so worried his relationship with Luffy was about to fall apart, that this would most likely be the moment they would break up and go their separate ways.

Law didn't know if he could deal with that; losing Luffy once before they were even together nearly destroyed him, losing Luffy now that they had been a couple would kill him completely. He looked away from the teen, his eyes landing on the floor. "If… I realize I have a lot of flaws, and I'm not exactly the best company… I can change that, though, if you want. I'll even quit my job if that's what's bothering you. I just…want to be with you no matter what." He looked off to the side. "Please don't leave…" The last sentence was barely a whisper, but it held all of his current emotions in it.

Luffy reached out and grabbed Law's hands, tracing over the letters tattooed on the tanned fingers. "You're such an idiot," he mumbled. "I thought I told you I wasn't going anywhere. Yeah, you have a lot of flaws, and sometimes you aren't the best of company." Law couldn't help the light flinch when he heard that despite the fact he'd known those things for years. Luffy looked into his eyes and gave a gentle smile. "But those are the things that make you _you_. And I wouldn't want that to change at all. I don't want _you_ to change. I love you for who you are, Torao. And I always will."

"Then what have you been doing for the past few weeks?"

"I got a job!"

"…a job?"

"Yeah! I have to move a lot of stuff from trucks to different stores, it's a lot of heavy lifting but the pay was surprisingly well!"

Law suddenly felt like an idiot. Of course, a job. That would explain why Luffy was so tired all the time. There was no way Luffy would cheat on him. He released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and shook his head. "Idiot, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to surprise you!"

"Surprise me? Luffy-ya, I'm making enough money as a surgeon right now to be able to support the both of us. You didn't have to jump into the first job that was available; you could have waited until a job that suited you opened up."

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm still going to do that. This job was only temporary," Luffy explained as he let go of Law's hands and reached into his pocket. "You said I had to pay for breaking your heart, and I said I'd make it up to you." He pulled out a small black box and held it in the palm of his hand. "I see how you look at me sometimes from the corner of your eye, like you're afraid I'm going to leave you again. So I wanted to get you something to show you that I'm not going anywhere. That I'll always be by your side, even when I'm not there."

He opened the box, and Law's eyes landed on two beautiful rings. Both bands were a smooth gold. The ring on the right had a red ruby that was cut in the shape of a heart, while the ring on the left had a dark sapphire that, too, was in the shape of a heart. Law's eyes widened upon seeing the rings. "What…?"

"This one," Luffy picked up the ring with the ruby and set the box aside as he grabbed Law's hand, slipping the ring on the man's ring finger. "Is for you. And this one," he picked up the other ring and slid it onto his own ring finger. "Is for me! Remember when I asked you what your favorite color was a while back? It was for this!"

Law did in fact remember the call. He found it bizarre how Luffy had called him just to ask what his favorite color was, and found it even weirder when Luffy claimed that he could _not_ claim the color red or yellow. He had said his favorite was dark blue, the same color as the sapphire on Luffy's finger. "I even had something engraved on the insides! Your ring says, _My heart belongs to Law_, and my ring says, _My heart belongs to Luffy._ See? Red is my favorite color, so that ruby represents my heart! You'll always have my heart with you wherever you go now! I'll always be by your side!"

Luffy smiled brightly, giving a laugh and Law's shocked expression. The surgeon looked at the ring on his finger. Luffy's heart would always be his now, just as his heart, that dark blue sapphire, would always be with Luffy. He felt his eyes begin to sting he swallowed hard as he fought down the tears that threatened to build. "How much did this cost?" he asked to distract himself from the warmth that currently filled his heart.

"Not that much," Luffy waved aside the comment, but Law refused to accept that answer.

"How. much."

A silence hung in the air. "A-A lot," Luffy finally answered. "It's why I had to work so long with such long hours. I didn't want to get something that might break, so I got something I knew would last for the rest of our lives." He bit his lip as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope it's okay. I mean, I don't know if you like to wear rings or not. If you don't, I can always take it back and–"

Law pulled Luffy into a tight hug, cutting off the teen. "I love it," he whispered. "Thank you so much." Luffy smiled gently and hugged back, happy to be in the surgeon's arms once more. He pulled away a moment later before getting on his tiptoes and placing his lips on Law's. The surgeon's eyes widened, surprised by the sudden act, but quickly melted into the kiss; cupping Luffy's chin and tilting his head back so he could deepen the kiss. Luffy smiled into it, and Law couldn't help but do so too as they broke apart and rested their foreheads against each other's.

"I love you, Law."

"I love you, too, Luffy-ya." Law stole one more kiss before giving a genuine smile, one unlike any other he'd given before. The sight of it only made Luffy smile even brighter, glad to see that he managed to make his lover happy.

"You should smile like that more often," he said. "You have a beautiful smile."

"Maybe I will, then," Law replied.

"Sorry I avoided all your other attempts at kissing me," Luffy said after a while, sheepishly scratching at his cheek. "I kinda wanted to wait until this moment to kiss you."

"It's fine," Law chuckled. "Everything's fine now."

"You're such a sap," Luffy chuckled back, and the surgeon playfully scowled.

"Way to ruin the moment, idiot."

"What? You are a sap! You almost started crying when I gave you the rings!"

"I saw you tear up too, don't try to deny it."

"…Okay, I may or may not have teared up a little. Shut up."

"But next time, let me know when you get a job. Alright? You had me worrying for a while…"

"Yeah, I will," Luffy promised. "I just wanted to surprise you and show you that I'm really never leaving. So no more worrying, got it?"

"Got it," Law nodded.

"I'll always be by your side now. Forever–"

"And always," Law finished. The two stared into each other's eyes before leaning in for another kiss, his one more long and passionate.

Law had been right, everything was perfect once again.

Until Garp burst through the door in time to see his grandson kissing some guy Garp had never met.

Then life got _very_ chaotic _very_ quickly.

But to Law…it was worth it.

Because he had Luffy by his side once again.

* * *

_~ The End ~  
__(For real)_

* * *

_A/N: *whispers* I don't know if you guys can tell, but I don't know how to write kissing scenes. Yeah. Sorry. *clears throat* Anyway, there's the final chapter. Hope it was…okay-ish. I didn't know how to end it really. And yeah. Lot of ooc here. My apologies for that. I forget how I came up with the idea of the rings, but I hope it fit!_

_As for the rings, yeah. Luffy paid a shit-ton of money for those. Dark sapphire rings can range from $600-$10,000, while ruby rings range from $600-$3,000. They both (most likely) range even higher depending on the type of gem/band/cut. But if I HAD to put an estimate on what Luffy paid, I'd say...maybe around $2,500-$3,000. As for the reason why Ace was all nervous, he was the one who gave Luffy the idea to get something for Law to show him he wouldn't leave his side. So yeah, it kinda was Ace's fault Luffy was unable to visit Law for so long. XD_

_Thank you all for your kind reviews and for sticking with this story for so long! Cookies for you all! :D :D :D_

_Your shy ice elemental,  
__~»roo the psycho«_


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